YORBA LINDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tyler Armstrong takes another large step closer toward completing his Climb to CureDuchenne Seven Summits campaign by completing his climb up Russia’s Mt. Elbrus on August 9. His climbing campaign, which will eventually include being the youngest person to scale Mt. Everest, is the driving force behind his personal goal to raise $1 million to find a cure for his friends and more than 300,000 boys worldwide with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
To accomplish his expedition on Mt. Elbrus, the third of the seven summits he’s completed, Tyler, accompanied by his father Kevin and several climbing guides, trekked 5 days up the remote Russian mountain to an elevation of 18,510 ft., over slick ice slopes, in subzero temperatures and to the top of what is simultaneously a dormant volcano.
According to his guide and his father, this was great training for Everest giving Tyler some additional experience with climbing ropes, clipping harnesses into safety lines and how challenging it is to do these things with extreme cold gear. Tyler says he is more excited about Everest and knows there is more to learn about performing mountaineering tasks in the cold.
What he repeated to himself throughout his most challenging moments – situations where grown men have been known to turn back from the unruly Caucasus mountainside – was his promise to complete the climb for those with Duchenne and the devastating effects of the disease’s muscle deterioration.
“In one day we went from 12,500 feet to higher than 18,000 feet and my legs were so tired. I know what the kids with Duchenne feel when their legs don’t do what they want them to do,” said Tyler.
Duchenne, which is found mainly in boys, is an inherited fatal disease that causes muscles to not regrow, leaving boys progressively weaker. Most boys with Duchenne are wheelchair bound by the mid teams and most do not live past their 20s. There is currently no cure for the deadly disease but several pharmaceutical treatments are currently awaiting FDA approval.
11-year-old Tyler has been climbing mountains and setting records for three years, including being the youngest to summit to Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina and the second youngest to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. Donations to help find a cure for Duchenne can be made at www.crowdrise.com/climbtocureduchenne.
Tyler’s next big climb is the largest of all – Mt. Everest. Set for April 2016, upon completing this effort he will be the world record holder as the youngest person to have climbed Everest. Until then, he will train frequently and continue his work to with CureDuchenne to help raise awareness about Duchenne.
About CureDuchenne
CureDuchenne was founded in 2003 with a focus on saving the lives of those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that affects more than 300,000 boys worldwide. With support from CureDuchenne the FDA could approve three pharmaceutical treatments within the next year. These treatments may lessen the effects of the disease for those with certain mutations of Duchenne, but there is still much to be done to find a cure. For more information, please visit CureDuchenne.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
